As Stars Align To Back Beijing, Some Fans Feel Sad

At least eight K-pop stars from the mainland, as well as one each from Taiwan and Hong Kong, are publicly stating their support for Beijing's one-China policy, eliciting a mixture of disappointment and understanding from fans.

Many of the statements came after protesters removed a national flag and tossed it into Victoria Harbour earlier this month.

Lay Zhang, Jackson Wang, Lai Kuan-lin and Victoria Song were among the K-pop singers who recently uploaded a Chinese flag and declared themselves as "one of 1.4 billion guardians of the Chinese flag" on their official Weibo social media accounts. Wang is from Hong Kong and Lai is from Taiwan.

Song and Zhang, a member of popular group EXO, have shown their Chinese pride on Instagram, in Song's case uploading an image of the Chinese flag last week with the caption "Hong Kong is part of China forever."

Such posts would only be seen by their international fans because Instagram, like most Western social media sites, is blocked by the ruling Chinese Communist Party's censors.

K-pop fans reacted swiftly to theses messages.Some called it shameful, while others were more understanding.

Erika Ng, a 26-year-old Hong Kong fan of Jackson Wang, was not surprised by his statement. She said he "values the China market more than the Hong Kong market" because of his large presence in the mainland.

Wang, a member of the group Got7, used to carry a Hong Kong flag and wear a hat with the city's symbol, a bauhinia flower. Lately, he has been carrying a Chinese flag on his concert tour and was wearing a China flag hoodie in his music video.

Ellyn Bukvich, a 26-year-old American who has been an EXO fan for five years, said many young fans will probably support Zhang and his message because of his status as a K-pop idol.

Other celebrities also have been caught in the controversies linked over their messages linked to the ongoing anti-extradition bill protests.

Liu Yifei, the Chinese-born star of Disney's upcoming live-action version of the film "Mulan" has been a target of a boycott campaign after she posted a message supporting Hong Kong police who have been accused of using excessive force against protesters.

Some questioned her motives, wondering if the post was calculated to ensure her film is released widely in China – the world's largest film market. Among Hong Kong protesters, there were swift calls for a boycott of the film when it is released next year. (AP)